"Robert Dunwoody has inherited his father's love of the sea and restless spirit while his mother dreams that he will play a part in their family business. Robert rebels against the world of small shopkeepers to follow the harsh, dangerous life of a sailor. After years away, travelling across the oceans and as a hobo in the United States, Robert returns to Belfast and is trapped into marriage and a shop of his own. Can he free himself to return to the world beyond Belfast's streets and return to the joys of an independent life?"--Page 4 of cover.